Shamed be he who thinks ill of it
by Nica13
Summary: Thatch and Izou make the wrong assumption about the first and second division commanders thanks to their dirty minds and a few suggestive noises...
1. A friend in need

**Shamed be he who thinks ill of it**

**Summary:** There's a small misunderstanding which may cause trouble or some embarrassing moments in the future.

Sorry to those who are waiting for updates on my other stories. Unfortunately, I have very limited free-time. But as soon as the semester's over I'm gonna continue **Cursed** and **Poisoned** nad hopefully finish them this year. Until then, here's a short piece I hope you'll enjoy. :)

It was pretty damn obvious by the young commander's slow and careful movements that he was in pain. He hurt his back a while ago, when he was fighting a pirate crew on his own. It was an easy win, but he extended way too much and now he felt like someone was constantly stabbing a knife into his lower back.

"Ace, can you come inside my room for a moment, yoi?" – Marco asked, his half-lidded eyes looking at Ace warmly. How could anyone say no to that kind smile.

"Of course" – he grinned back and followed the older.

As soon as they went inside Marco got to the point.

"I want you to lie face down on the bed and relax, yoi"

"Excuse me, what?"

"Just do as I say" – Ace gulped, though he trusted his crewmate it was a very strange request. Seeing as the other was giving him an expectant look, and he was curious as well as confused, he did as he was told and went to lie down.

He felt the other's presence come closer until he was right next to him.

Marco reached under the bed and pulled out a small object that Ace couldn't really see.

His heart was beating faster, what was that, was it what he thinks it was, lube? And if so then what? A certain erotic image swished into his mind and he shuddered at it.

„Shh, relax, Ace, calm down, yoi" – okay, was Marco serious, this comment of his would make anyone crawl out of their skin in fear in a situation similar to this.

„What are you going to do, Marco?" – asked Ace in an uncertain voice.

„What do you think, yoi?" – Marco smirked.

„Umm…don't know for sure"

„I'm going to straddle you now, don't get scared, yoi"

„What?" – Ace jumped, but Marco was quicker and soon he was sitting on Ace's bum.

Ace was confused and a little bit scared. His heart beat fast. He screwed his eyes shut anticipating the worst but unmoving under his friend thinking that if the other tried anything funny or weird he would run for it.

Naturally, he was quite surprised when the other started kneading his shoulders with firm hands. He had to suppress a moan at the sensation. The phoenix dragged his thumbs over sore muscles applying pressure where Marco felt needed. His main goal was to get this done with Ace's lower back but he thought Ace would get the wrong idea if he just started there immediately, so he decided to work his way down slowly and make the younger relaxed enough to let him get to the important part. He applied the sticky oil to ease his way upon the hot skin.

As he reached a particularly sore point and pressed on it expertly Ace moaned loudly.

"Ah…God, yes Marco" – The blond smiled and tried his best to make the younger loosen up. He liked the praise a lot. Ace didn't stop emitting all sorts of sounds.

"Mh…ah…Marco…right there…mmh…that's it, that's the spot" – it went on and on getting louder in volume. Ace's satisfied moans and groans could be heard well, even from outside.

And just then Thatch and Izou, the 4th 15th division commanders happened to walk across the 1st division commander's room and stopped in their tracks upon hearing the following sentence:

"Ah, right there, Marco…God don't stop!" – that was definitely Ace's voice they heard coming from behind the closed door. What was he doing in there?

They looked at each other incredulously and then inched closer to the door so they could hear better what the hell was going on in there.

"You're so good at this, ah Marco, why didn't we do this sooner" – Ace's satisfied groans could be heard quite clearly from the outside and Marco's chuckle did nothing to ease the duo's curiosity.

They mouthed to each other? "Are they…?" – and Thatch showed what he meant by pushing his forefinger through a formed-circle a few times imitating the actual action.

They couldn't believe their ears, they had to see. So Izou peeked in through the keyhole which to their luck was facing the bed. Ace was face down on the bed and Marco was on top. The cross dresser pulled away from the door only to collapse on the floor in utter shock. Now it was Thatch's turn to sneak a peek inside. His face went red when he saw the two men moving on the bed in a motion that couldn't be mistaken. He gaped like a fish at what they've just learned.

"So Marco and…Ace…" – he mumbled and just stared at the door immobilized by the shock.

Gods, what are those two thinking doing something like that to each other, in broad daylight no less.

The two men stared at each other then they scattered and promised each other that they would keep this a secret until, until their brothers decided to come out and tell everyone. How long do they have to keep their mouths shut, though? A long time, they bet.

...

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><p>That's it for now.<p>

Did you like it? Would you like me to continue?


	2. Jumping to conclusions

Wow! Thx to everyone for the nice reviews. What better way to thank you than to post another chapter :)

So here comes the next part:

Ace stretched his muscles and sighed contentedly, his day couldn't get any better now that his back wasn't killing him anymore.

His grin was infectious and Marco chuckled as he saw how much Ace appreciated his efforts.

When they slipped back into the crowd at lunch and Marco instructed him to sit down and take it easy so his efforts won't be in vain he nodded cheerfully and waited for the older to bring him the food he so desired. He thanked Marco and politely waited for the blonde to get ready as well and a few minutes later they simultaneously said: "Itadakimasu!" digging in next to each other.

Two certain commanders happened to be sitting in front of the happy duo and were staring incredulously at them. Their faces were red, eyes bulging and their forks dropped from their hands at the scene they saw. This was not happening… so fast. They thought in union. The only way their newfound love could be more obvious was if they were making out or telling everyone hey we're in love or we're together now, guys! – Thatch and Izou glanced to the side to confirm if their eyes were still working.

Suddenly, Marco stopped eating and clinked his glass so all other crewmembers would stop too.

"Hey everyone, me and Ace have some very good news for you" – Ace gently nudged the blond with his elbow whispering: "Hey I wanted to tell them" – he sounded disappointed.

Okay that's it even their jaws dropped at this. Is this for real? So soon? Or the better question, how long has this been going on between their friends? – All these questions swarmed the 4th and 15th division commanders' minds and they almost didn't catch Marco's words still caught in utter disbelief.

"…so as you all know Ace has been here for more than a year now and he's been an awesome addition to our family so far, ain't that right, yoi?" – he made a pause and the other's cheered, making Ace flush and smile.

"What I would like to announce is…" – Thatch and Izou gulped hearts beating faster, already knowing what Marco would say, or at least they thought they did.

"…that the two of us have thought of a great gift to Oyaji for his upcoming birthday" – another ominous pause. Ummm, where the hell was he going with this, when will he finally tell the others about their affair? – Thatch and Izou looked to the side, confused expressions reflecting each other. If their eyes could talk they would probably say: what the hell?

"He's getting a massage weekend at Lax Island– finished Marco proudly puffing out his chest and put a hand around the black-haired male's shoulders sitting next to him. All of them agreed with this idea, hooraying in unison.

Ace scowled and muttered. "Spoilsport" "That's all, everyone" – Marco calmly sat back down and the crew resumed eating in a warm atmosphere.

"It's my reward for earlier today, remember, you were pretty satisfied as far as I know, yoi" – Marco winked and smirked down at the younger.

Ace shrugged and then beamed. "I guess you're right, I did enjoy that a lot, didn't I?"

Marco nodded and they went back to eating, oblivious of the two men staring at them like they grew another head.

Izou blinked a few times and gathered his wits long enough to pull Thatch away before the cook confronted the duo. Marco and Ace looked up in question at the sudden retreat but decided that food was more important right now. They must have a good reason to leave their meals like that.

"Hey, stop, Izou, let go already" – exclaimed Thatch and yanked his arm free of the crossdresser's grasp. They were in one of the hallways now empty as most of the crew was filling their stomachs to their hearts' content.

"What was that for?"

"You were gonna crack and spoil things for them!" – Izou frowned folding his arms.

"That's not true" – Izou raised an elegant eyebrow.

"Alright, maybe, but did you hear them, gosh they are totally in love"

"I know"

"Ya know, for a minute there, I thought Marco would stop this charade that's been going on for who knows how long, and just blurt it out." – Izou agreed, they were on the same page for once.

Thatch was deep in thought silently pulling at his beard when something popped into his mind. Izou was skeptical about this, though in the end decided to hear him out.

"So, we know about their secret and we know they want the crew to accept their relationship. So what could it be that makes them hide it so well?"

"…"

"Exactly, nothing comes to mind, so then this, between them must still be pretty new."

"Or they are afraid because they are both men…" – Izou challenged, he knew Thatch was an idiot. This was obvious. The two thought others would frown upon a relationship between two men. It was very uncommon.

"You think so?"

"I know so" – he smirked smugly. "The real question is, should we do something about this?"

Again that annoying beard pulling… Thatch was killing him with his small antics.

"Uhhh…I think we should go and ask them about it" – the crossdresser face palmed and rubbed his forehead in annoyance.

"Something tells me they would be hell-bent on denying it. We don't want to scare them, let them come out in their own pace. I want them to work. I like the thought of them together as a pair"

"Me too, somehow Marco and Ace were meant to be together, even their powers complement each other"

"Huh, what did you say, Thatch?" – the conversing commanders were alerted and immediately turned around to see a wide-eyed Haruta staring at them incredulously.

"Are Marco and Ace a couple?" – he asked and they gulped. So much for secrecy…

TBC

Hope you enjoyed reading. Tell me what you think so far. :)


	3. Inconvenient condition

**Part 3:**

Three heads popped up to peek at the main deck of the Moby Dick. If anyone asked they would tell they were doing new exercises together, but truth be told, they were stalking their brothers.

Both Ace and Marco were currently on deck, chatting about who knows what, cause they were too far away from them to hear what they talked about.

Haruta was just as surprised as the other two, when he heard about the blonde and the raven being secret lovers. They explained what happened yesterday when they passed Marco's room and told him about the unmistakable gestures at dinner their friends used and he was all ears to any plan Izou and Thatch concocted.

Meanwhile the unsuspecting Devil Fruit users upon deck were enjoying the nice weather and each other's company. However, after they stopped laughing about something the three stalkers couldn't hear, Ace leaned closer to Marco and whispered something in his ear. A second later Marco abruptly lifted him bridal style and carried him quickly down the stairs to the commanders' quarters.

All three relaxed and let go of the railing at the same time jumping down and coming out of their hiding spot. They were sharing similarly knowing looks. This confirmed it. Definitely lovers.

Meanwhile with Marco and Ace:

"Mhh…What happened, Marco?" – the black-haired male slowly came to and found himself on his bed once again, Marco sitting at his side smiling softly at him.

"You had a narcoleptic attack again, yoi" – he ruffled the black locks and Ace yawned, blinking drowsily.

"Sorry"

"Don't bother, at least this time you warned me in time, so I could catch you" – he winked and Ace felt a little bit embarrassed because Marco had to be the one to bring him to his room again. Last time was humiliating enough. He didn't want to be reminded of it.

_It was late in the evening and Ace was coming out of the shower, wet towel hanging loosely on his lean hips accidentally bumping into Marco on his way out._

_They laughed it off, and were about to go on their way, when suddenly Ace felt himself slip out of consciousness and he fell hard on the floor, the only article of clothing he had decided to slip off him right then and there. Marco turned back and saw the younger sprawled on the floor snoring soundly, dead to the world and butt-naked. He froze. Such an inconvenient condition. Poor Ace. He thought and went to carry him to his room. He somehow forgot about the towel or didn't care but it was left behind. Ace's door was locked and Marco didn't know where Ace kept his key, because well he certainly couldn't have it on him. He wasn't wearing anything._

_In the end he stumbled into his own room and deposited the youngster on his own bed. Ace was tucked in and Marco decided to slip in beside him when he was getting sleepy. Marco woke up to a strangely girly scream Ace emitted. He was clutching the sheets to his chest with one hand and pointing an accusatory finger towards the phoenix._

_"__What did you do to me, Marco" – he hissed, eyes darting over Marco and the room searching for an answer. Marco rubbed the sleep from his eyes and regarded him calmly._

_"__Nothing you didn't enjoy" – he avoided answering directly and smirked taking the horrified expression on the younger's face._

_"__Did we, um…" – Ace lowered his voice and mumbled the last part._

_"__Sorry, Ace, I didn't catch that, what was your question, yoi?"_

_"__Did we have sex?" - Amusement was written all over Marco's face, and Ace hated not knowing the answer._

_"__What's the last thing you remember, yoi?"_

_"…__I showered and then…" – he trailed off and frowned trying to remember._

_"__That's it? Then you don't remember barging into my room, begging me to make love to you, yoi?" – Marco told him seriously._

_Ace froze in shock at what he's just heard. It was impossible, he would never…and then why couldn't he remember any of it. He was deep in thought. Unless…_

_And Marco burst out laughing._

_"__You should see your face, yoi. It's hilarious."_

_"__Argh" - He hit Marco's arm angrily. "You bastard, how dare you"_

_"__You should be thankful at least I didn't leave your naked ass out in the open, yoi."_

_"__What?"_

_"__Your narcolepsy kicked in and you fell. When I turned back to see what happened you were already exposed." – Ace felt heat rush to his cheeks. Stupid sleep attacks._

_"__Thanks."_

_"__No problem, yoi."_

After that embarrassing incident Ace became more vary of his relationship with Marco. That's why he was reluctant to go back inside his room when the phoenix wanted to give him a massage yesterday.

He wasn't an expert on love and didn't have much experience on encounters of that nature. It wasn't that he wouldn't be interested in it; he just didn't think it was important. Maybe, because he hadn't found the one yet.

Marco can be confusing sometimes. He sat up in his bed and the blond stood up getting away from the bed.

"I'm going back to the deck, yoi."

"Okay, see you later" – he wished he knew what Marco was thinking…

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><p>To be continued...<p>

Review please! :)


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